Double winning skipper Ray Bieber admits his Brighton & Hove side are facing up to a very different challenge this season.

Bieber and colleagues were celebrating when their side beat Three Bridges in last summer's League Cup final before going on to win an exciting title race.

Most of that side, includng cup final centurion Bas Zuiderent, have now departed and Bieber admitted: "It will be a very different type of season for us.

"Players will get plenty of opportunity to show whether they are good enough.

"If they are not, we have got plenty more coming through who can take their places so the signs are good."

As well as Zuiderent, Brighton have lost young wicketkeeper Matt Prior to the county's first team while Keith Greenfield is spending more time with Sussex's seconds.

They will also be without spinner Patrick Spencer, hard-working seamer Greg Guilford and Dominic Clapp, who has re-joined Worthing following their promotion to the top flight.

Zuiderent and Prior have got off to good starts with Sussex, which has delighted their former skipper at the Nevill.

He said: "Matt is one of the most gifted young players who has ever been around this area and the time was right for Sussex to take him into their first team.

"Peter Moores and Keith Greenfield have helped him a great deal. He can become a frontline batsman in his own right and his keeping has improved enormously.

"Bas has been bursting to get a first team opportunity for some while and he is desperate to do well."

Brighton have signed seamer Stuart Collier from Bexhill but otherwise will be drafting in players who were on the fringes of the first team last term.

Martyn Adams, who lost his place midway through the season, is back at the top of the order alongside left-hander Richard Luker.

Medium-pacer Guy Williamson is being given a long-awaited chance after several seasons in the second team.

Brighton have not been out of the top six since 1993 and Bieber is making no predictions about their fate this term.

But he insisted: "Alth-ough we have lost our first two games we have competed hard in both and we have one eye on the future."

Brighton will not be coming up against former Sussex batsman John North when they visit Chichester today.

Last season's Chi skipper is now the proud father of twins and has too much on his hands to play cricket.

New skipper Nick Dyer has helped his side to a solid start.

Dyer's vice-captain is batsman Daniel Oliver, who has returned from a spell at Havant.

Young batsmen James Russey and Paul Robins have both got runs while the club have benefitted from the arrival of new coach John Davies.

Australian Brett Whittaker is the overseas player at Priory Park. He bats at five and bowls off spin.

Haywards Heath's young skipper Hugo Southwell completes a hectic week by leading his side at Hastings.

Southwell turned 21 on Monday, played for the Sussex Board on Tuesday and took a sociology exam in Bristol on Wednesday.

His side are having to do without South African Steve Moore, who is attempting to secure a contract with Worcester-shire, but Jamie Carpenter and Paul Havell are available.

Australian batsman Tim Cruikshank is Heath's new overseas player.

Hastings' new all rounder Ahmer Saeed, a former professional from Karachi, misses the game. He is taking an exam in Cyprus.

Spinner Chris Topp has joined from Bexhill and skipper Jason Finch said: "We just missed out last year and we will be one of the sides to beat again."